


Home Run

by orphan_account



Category: Glee
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-02
Updated: 2012-02-02
Packaged: 2017-10-30 12:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/331893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His sister, Stacy’s voice filtered through all of the cheering and yelling and he focused on her pint-sized encouragement.  It meant so much that they’d traveled from Kentucky to see him today.  But - truth be told - if he cocked his chin over his shoulder, he’d be looking for a different face entirely.  </p>
<p>And then he heard <i>her</i>.</p>
<p>“Knock it outta the park, Sam Evans!”</p>
<p>(aka The Summer after Graduation)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home Run

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jules1278](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Jules1278).



> Again this wouldn't be possible without the gal who is the Salma Hayek to my everything, Jules1278. *SMISHES*

Tapping the bat on the side of his cleats, Sam Evans sidled up to home plate. His hat tucked low over his eyes to shade against the sun, he shouldered the bat. Bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, and everyone he knew and loved sitting on a set of rickety wooden bleachers behind McKinley High’s dugout.

_Yeah, no pressure, Evans._

“You can do it, Sammy!”

His sister, Stacy’s voice filtered through all of the cheering and yelling and he focused on her pint-sized encouragement. It meant so much that they’d traveled from Kentucky to see him today. But - truth be told - if he cocked his chin over his shoulder, he’d be looking for a different face entirely. 

And then he heard _her_.

“Knock it outta the park, Sam Evans!”

It was impossible not to smile. So, he did.

The first pitch went by. Strike, as it made a loud pop when it hit the catcher’s mitt.

“Need your eyes checked, Evans?”

He shook off the rib from the catcher and dug in his feet again putting all of his weight on his right leg. Being on the synchronized swimming team had given Sam lots of experience with people being assholes. This punk hiding behind a mask and a bullshit comment didn’t have anything on Sue Sylvester’s sarcastic slurs.

With a twist of his wrist, the bat spun, and the pitcher gave the nod getting the call for the pitch he wanted. Beyond the mound, Sam could see Puck leading off second by a good two yards and ready to run.

And then the pitcher threw. He could see it slowly going low and away. Grinning wide, he stepped into the pitch and swung. The familiar zing of the ball hitting the sweet spot on the bat sizzled up his arm as his body followed the swing around. Dropping the bat, he tore off towards first. He could hear the crowd screaming and yelling as Bieste’s windmilling arms spurred him on towards second. He glanced towards where the ball was hit and watched it arc down out of the clouds just to sail clear of the fence and he slowed to a lope. He carefully touched third and picked up speed again towards home. 

Alll of his teammates were surrounding the plate and waited just long enough for his spikes to touch the dust-covered base. Then, they attacked him. He laughed and grinned and hugged and high-fived. His dad picked him up and gave him a rib-crushing bear hug. His mom touched his face and kissed his cheek. A cold rush of gatorade and ice ran over his back when Puck and Finn lifted the team’s cooler and dumped the contents on his back. Laughing, he shook like a dog as Stacy shrieked and Stevie laughed. Sam flipped his hair back and thought he caught a glimpse of her red shirt walking away but Carole and Burt were hugging him and congratulating him the next second. She was lost again. 

The sun was heading behind the horizon as he ambled out of the locker room freshly showered. 

“Hey man, good game.”

Sam shook Finn’s hand and laughed as Puck came out walking in between them.

“Fucking understatement of the year, Hudson. Our boy hit a fucking home run at the bottom of the ninth with two outs and bases loaded.”

“Um, yeah, I was there Puck, remember? Standing on third while you were on second.”

Sam just laughed and said thanks. 

“See you back home? Mom and Burt are grilling dogs and everyone’s coming over. Maybe head out to the lake later on though.”

Memories of the summer before made Sam stop and smile.

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Shouldering his bat bag, Sam started towards the parking lot. He stopped short when he caught a glimpse of red on the tailgate of his truck. It was Mercedes. She had his baseball hat on her head with feet dangling off the lowered tailgate. 

She started as he tossed the bat bag in the bed of the truck and he chuckled under his breath. 

“Hey you,” he said. He walked over and stood in front of her just between where her legs rested. Her hands came up around his neck as he placed his hands on either side of her hips. 

“S’up?” He could tell that she was trying so hard to be cool. 

“Not much. Just helped win a game. Going to a party. Wanna go?”

“Sure,” she shrugged. That’s fine.”

And then she busted loose with a howl and squeezed him so hard around his neck that he thought his eyes were gonna pop.

“You _did_ it, Sam!”

All of the air whooshed out of his lungs. He felt like he’d been holding it in ever since he walked up to home plate and now it was okay to let it go. His arms were around her waist and it was _okay_ to let go. 

Kissing the side of her neck, he backed up and kissed her nose. 

“You are the best ever. I heard you over everyone.”

“Sure you did,” she said, giving his shoulder a little push. 

“I did,” he replied, leaning in to kiss her again. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to being able to kiss her whenever he wanted. “You told me to hit it out of the park and I did.”

“You sure did.”

He helped her down off the tailgate and opened the door for her as she walked around the truck. 

“Miss those white pants of yours already.”

He threw his head back and laughed. 

“Want me to put ‘em back on later so you can talk me out of them?”

She laughed slightly but ducked her head and blushed, too. He loved making Mercedes blush. 

“Mmmmm, we’ll see.”

The party was in full swing by the time they got to the house. Sam barely had time to grab a soda - Sun Drop, thanks (Hell, you could take the boy out of the south, but you couldn’t take the south out of the boy) - and he wolfed down a hot dog (okay, three) before the guys wanted an impromptu jam.

“Please, Sammy, please,” Stacy pleaded.

_Fuuuuuuuuck_. He couldn’t ever say no to his baby sister. 

“Finn, you seen my guitar?” Sam hollered across the throng. 

“In the family room,” Finn yelled back. 

Retrieving it quickly, Sam walked back out to the patio where everyone was gathering around the fire pit. They’d had jams out here often enough with the stars to inspire and the fire to warm their souls as they harmonized, laughed, and connected. He knew wherever they were all off to, he’d miss this, miss them. Mercedes settled in at his feet and he peeled off his hoodie and put it around her shoulders.

“Sooooo sweet,” Kurt said.

Rolling his eyes, Sam strummed the guitar strings giving his hands time to adjust to it. After a day of ball, this was a different coordination, but one he knew by heart. Blaine - to his left - started humming and Sam went off in a riff. The girls all nodded at one another and began to sing the opening lines to Hopelessly Devoted to You while all the moms cooed and hummed over the cuteness but it didn’t stop a single one of them from joining in. Drama reached a fever pitch when Olivia Newton-John would’ve sang out ‘But, now, I’ve nowhere to hide...’ Everyone about fell out when Puck jumped in the middle of the circle and began serenading Carole. She, getting into the spirit of things, laughingly got out of her chair and let Puck spin her around. Sam laughed at Carole trying to keep up on her short little legs with Puck’s long-legged strides until Puck gave up and lifted her off her feet.

“Puckerman, put my mom _down_ ,” Finn yelled. 

“Nobody’s sweeping her off her feet but me,” Burt chimed in.

“Then get after it, old man,” Puck said. 

Sam looked over at Finn, who was also strumming on a guitar, and gave an emphatic nod. Time to slow things down and get the hell outta here, he thought. There was a lake, a sleeping bag in the bed of his truck, and a pretty girl to wrap his arms around. It was time to go. 

Finn started with the very first notes of Fire and Rain and the adults again collectively sighed and Sam’s heart skipped a beat when he looked up to find his parents dancing together and looking like they might need a night at the lake, too.

Too bad, he thought. Not tonight. My girl’s waiting on me. 

He could feel ever inch of warmth from where Mercedes was leaning against his legs and the soft vibrations of her voice running through her into him. He continued to play but watched her profile. Every once in awhile she’d look up and smile at him and his insides spun around all over again just like the first time he’d seen her across the football field. She was sitting on the bleachers and smiling at him and he’d wondered what her name was. 

When the song ended, she patted his leg and he reached out to help her up. Hugs were given and warnings shouted as they packed away guitars and poured out of the house into their vehicles. 

“See you there, bitches!” Puck yelled and was the first one to his Jeep and out the driveway. 

“We should go to the res instead and leave him hangin’,” Santana said.

Sam laughed and high-fived Santana.

“He’d find us eventually. It’d only be a short reprieve,” Kurt pointed out.

“But there might be some peace and quiet,” Rachel said.

“Only if _you_ go with Puck,” said Santana. 

Finn gently flicked Santana on the ear and Brittany leaned over and pinched Finn under the arm and Sam knew it was going to get way outta control in a minute if he didn’t stop it. He nudged Mercedes and she put two fingers in her mouth and whistled high and loud.

“Cut it out. We’re going to the lake _now_. Let’s roll.”

Following Mercedes to the truck, he rested his hands on her hips. 

“You do know how hot that is when you do that, right?”

“Shut up, Sam.”

“Just sayin’.”

He opened the door for her and then walked back around to help Finn and Mike load Artie’s wheelchair up and then they were officially off.

The road to the lake was well worn and gravel but they left the windows open so the night air blew through their hair and scented their clothes with fresh cut grass and dandelion fluff. He laughed when Mercedes pulled the hat lower so her hair wouldn’t blow everywhere. One thing that had surprised Sam about her was that she was always game for an adventure, even if it meant getting dirty or treading off the beaten path. When they were dating last year, she made up picnic dates, movie nights at her house with Stevie and Stacy, and nights by the lake. The first time they’d drove out in her car, Sam had been pleasantly surprised for her to grab a blanket and want to do nothing but sit and talk. They shared a pitcher of lemonade and two hours under the stars talking about everything and nothing. 

It had been Heaven back then.

And even now when he could well afford to take her to Breadstix or somewhere fancier even, they wanted to come out here. Sometimes they didn’t even talk. They’d just lay there and listen. And other times, well, he did like to make her blush.

Sam pulled into a spot in the parking lot and killed the lights. They sat in silence and let the night come to them with the cooler air wafting in through the open windows and Sam leaned his head back on the rest. Turning his chin to the side, he held out his hand.

“C’mere.”

She took his hand, slid across the bench seat and settled in beside him, hip to hip. Putting his arm around her, he tucked her head under his chin.

“Not too many nights like this left.”

“No, there’s not,” she said, her voice soft and tiny. “But, you won your game today and maybe we should focus on that right now.”

“I wanna ‘focus’ on you.”

“ _Sam_.”

He reached out and tilted her chin up so he could see her face. Even in the dark, he could feel the heat coming off her cheeks.

“ _Mercedes_.”

A loud bang made them both jump and knock heads together. When the stars cleared out of his eyes - seriously, it was like a saturday morning cartoon in there - he turned to see Puckerman standing in the bed of his truck.

“Noah Puckerman, you get your skinny ass outta that truck.”

“What the hell are you two doing in there? Everyone was wondering where you were.”

“Tell ‘em we’ll be down in a minute, okay?”

Sam hoped like hell that would get Puck back down by the others and the water because he wanted at least two more seconds alone with Mercedes. Watching Puck walk back, Sam waited until Puck was over the hill before he leaned over and opened Mercedes’ door.

“Let’s go.”

“What? Where?” she asked.

He pocketed a flash light from the glove box and jumped out his side of the truck.

“Come _on_ ,” he said. Grabbing the sleeping bag roll from the back, he shut the door quietly. He ran around the truck and grabbed her hand. “Come on, Mercedes.”

He could hear her giggle behind him as he dragged her towards the nearest walking trail. They’d been all over this lake and they both knew the ins and outs of the trails much better than the rest of the gang. And really, he just wanted some time alone with her. 

The trail came out on the North shore of the lake with a weeping willow that they’d laid under many times before. It was far enough away from the rest of them to be private and close enough to run in case of rain. Sam unrolled the sleeping bag and spread it out flannel side up. Sitting down on it, he watched as Mercedes sat down, kicked off her flip flops, and leaned back settling in the vee of his legs.

“Wow. Feel like I can breathe now,” she said.

He laughed and kissed the side of her neck. 

“I know. I love that bunch but sometimes they just don’t get it.”

“Pretty sure they do get it. Puck was just being an ass.”

“And that’s different from when?”

She giggled when he nuzzled the side of her neck. 

“What was your favorite part of today?” Mercedes asked. Huffing out a laugh, Sam put his arms around her waist. They’d played this game before, too. 

“Kinda hoping it’s gonna be here in a little bit.”

He was expecting the smack to the leg, so he braced for it and she didn’t disappoint. 

“Sam Evans,” she said. 

He laughed again. 

“Come on, now. You know it’s not.” Taking her hands, he laced their fingers together. “It’s now, Mercedes. Now is my favorite part of today.”

“You hit a home run at the bottom of the ninth with two out and the bases loaded and _right now_ is your favorite part of the day? Sam, are you insane?”

“Crazy about you.”

“Shut _up_ ,” she said, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

“C’mere,” he said again, pulling her even closer.

“Bossy,” she said.

“You know it.”

She leaned her head back against his shoulder and he looked down at her, into her eyes, and watched them flutter shut when he tilted his chin towards hers. Their lips touched softly, lightly. He untangled his hand from hers and cupped her cheek to keep her close. 

Then the breeze blew around them making the branches dance as he moved again and laid her down on the blanket. 

***

Mercedes’ hand was tight in his when they finally walked back towards the group. He knew damned well that everyone would know what they’d been up to, but really, he didn’t care. He tucked his ball cap low over his eyes - now that he’d gotten in back - and stopped short of the parking lot. The sleeping bag made a soft thud as it hit the ground and he reached for her again. Her hands grasped his sides as she stood up on tip-toes and he cupped her face. On and on they kissed, changing directions, slowing and coming back in for more until they rested their foreheads together breathing heavily. 

“Jesus, get a room.”

Sam let go of Mercedes to flip Puck the bird and opened his eyes to see Mercedes doing the same. Laughing, he kissed her forehead. She giggled and stole his hat back again. 

“Woman,” he said under his breath.

“Come and get it,” she teased running off towards the group. Sam tore off after her with the sleeping bag long forgotten on the ground. 

“Finn, save me!” She threw the red hat at Finn who nabbed it and threw it back at Puck who was behind Sam. Hand to hand, behind the back, and up in the air it went until a slightly girly throw from Tina to Rachel missed and Sam nabbed it.

“HA!” he exclaimed. Shaping the bill again, he put it back on his head. “You guys are all _dicks_.”

“Hey!” Mercedes shouted from where she was sitting by Kurt and Blaine. 

“That includes you, hussy,” Sam said with a wink. 

The sun was coming up by the time they all piled back into their vehicles and drove the road back towards town. Mercedes was at his side with her head on his shoulder, sleeping, and his arm was around her. 

It would get them through whatever came next, this night would. He _knew_ it.


End file.
